New Monzo scam impersonating fraud team could see customers lose thousands

Fraudsters are upping their game with a new banking scam that is hoodwinking Monzo customers out of their hard-earned cash.

The phishing scam sees criminals impersonate Monzo's fraud detection team using a phone number that is only one digit different to the bank's official customer service line.

The scammers call would-be victims to inform them of a suspicious transaction on their account, telling them to open the app and mark it as suspicious.

When users open their app, they will indeed see a dodgy attempted payment to big retailers or Deliveroo, seemingly supporting the caller's claims.

The caller will then go on to 'run through security details' and attempt to gain information about your bank balance, address, security answers, and more. They will even ask what your balance is in your pots and savings.

After that, they will try to use the information to take control of your bank account entirely.

The scam has been going on since last year, with one would-be victim calling them "sneaky little s**ts* on Twitter.

The fake number has also been reported as dangerous by users on the website 'Who Called'.

One user said: "This [is] a bank scam they will call you asking for your balance, and if you have any saving, they will pretend to be from that bank claiming fraud, when they are actual fraudsters, hang up, and call the bank and cancel your card!"

The scam is so convincing because the caller seems to have evidence that your card details have been stolen with the dodgy transaction in your account.

It also comes from an 0800 phone number which is only one digit different to Monzo's official helpline. So, if you get a call from 0800 803 1281, don't answer it and make sure to block and report it. If you are worried about suspicious activity on your bank account, call the bank yourself using its official number.

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Monzo told the Daily Star: "Monzo would never call you telling you your money isn't safe, that you need to move it to a 'safe account', tell you to take out a loan or overdraft, ask you to forward us the email you normally get to log into Monzo, or ask for your PIN.

"Please also remember that Monzo, other banks, or organisations like HMRC will never call you and ask for you to transfer any of your money. If you ever receive a phone call where anyone from an organisation you trust tries to pressure you into moving your money, hang up and call them back using the number on their website."

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